1. Field
This disclosure relates to audio signal processing.
2. Background
Many music applications on portable devices (e.g., smartphones, netbooks, laptops, tablet computers) or video game consoles are available for single-user cases. In these cases, the user of the device hums a melody, sings a song, or plays an instrument while the device records the resulting audio signal. The recorded signal may then be analyzed by the application for its pitch/note contour, and the user can select processing operations, such as correcting or otherwise altering the contour, upmixing the signal with different pitches or instrument timbres, etc. Examples of such applications include the QUSIC application (QUALCOMM Incorporated, San Diego, Calif.); video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band (Harmonix Music Systems, Cambridge, Mass.); and karaoke, one-man-band, and other recording applications.
Many video games (e.g., Guitar Hero, Rock Band) and concert music scenes may involve multiple instruments and vocalists playing at the same time. Current commercial game and music production systems require these scenarios to be played sequentially or with closely positioned microphones to be able to analyze, post-process and upmix them separately. These constraints may limit the ability to control interference and/or to record spatial effects in the case of music production and may result in a limited user experience in the case of video games.